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One To Watch – Jie Yang

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Aware of the world’s ever increasing consumption of materials and in particular in her home country China, Jie Yang wanted to address “the imbalance and uncomfortable relationship between human activities and the world.” Through statement piece ceramics she silently evokes curiosity and consideration inviting the sense of touch through the use of natures most delicate of materials; feathers.

Jie on her Story so far…

In the province of Jingsui, China, she spent her youth exploring fine arts, drawing, sculpting and painting in the midst of an unparalleled explosion of mass industialisation. Questions began to arise about the cost of such intense human and societal activities and its demand on our finite natural resources.

Concurrently, she was also mindful of the new role traditional Chinese ceramics now takes alongside the advancement of western contemporary ceramics. In her final end of year project she brings these two experiences to bear with her ceramics collection ‘Coexistence’.

On her story behind ‘Coexistence’…

Inspired by contemporary architectural design and nature Jie takes the strong geometric lines and purposeful symmetry of buildings, and marries them with the perfection and fragility of feathers. In her first year she experimented with ten different kinds of natural materials to best demonstrate the elements, and in the second year she began forming the collection. After dipping and firing processes the real feathers disappear leaving behind a thought provoking porcelain form.

Feathers are particularly symbolic in Chinese culture representing the ever-changing processes of life, blessings and a great future. Juxtaposed with the sturdiness of the architecturally inspired forms each piece is an intriguing combination with its own story to tell.

On the next stage of her career journey…

Yang would like to continue with ceramics and build her own brand at the both “the high-end and affordable sectors of the market.” Her idea is to continue probing “how to deal with the intricate relationships between humans and nature”, through generating visually responsive languages through Chinese and western processes.

Read Eva’s career story and her approach to architecture. “As an architect you struggle, but there’s always this process of joy when you succeed. And if you don’t succeed then what the hell, just start again!”

With a background in architecture, Marta Bordes approaches ceramics as an outsider, looking at the material from an unbiased perspective, questioning its applications and its limits, understanding its physical qualities.

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